Dina Zulfikar, an animal rights activist who sits on the board of the country's largest zoo, said that bringing wild animals into private homes is against the law.

"This is irresponsible and foolish behaviour," she added.

"They are not pets, they are wild animals."

Ms Zulfikar added that the social media videos also give a skewed picture of the danger big cats pose.

Joumana and Mr el-Helw join together in a dance.
Picture:
PA

Mr el-Helw keeps about 40 animals on his farm, including monkeys and other large cats, and was pictured doing tricks with his five-year-old African lioness Joumana.

In the footage, the lion trainer can be seen dancing with Joumana, getting her to walk across a plank, and getting the lioness to eat meat hanging from a stick held in his mouth.

"Since I opened my eyes to the world, I found lions around me," said the 26-year-old.

He added he began to work with the animals, alongside his older siblings, when he was six years old and 16 he was doing performances.

The el-Helw family has been putting on circus shows with big cats for over a century. Mr el-Helw's grandmother Mahassen el-Helw, also known as "the iron woman", was a renowned circus performer and the Arab world's first female lion trainer.

However, there have also been tragedies, including Mr el-Helw's grandfather, Mohammed el-Helw, who was killed in 1972 during one of his shows by a lion named Sultan who tore him to pieces before the eyes of a horrified, helpless public.

There have also been reported incidents of several other family members being attacked during shows in recent years.

Mr el-Helw's older sisters, Luba, 38; Ousa, 35, and Bushra, 28, are also professional lion trainers at Egypt's National Circus.

"They are like my children," said Bushra, giving Joumana a loving pat on the back.